Part I of our popular Editorial School for Journal Editors took place in March/April 2025. Joan Marsh presented the second of the four modules.
The format is a lecture, followed by a moderated breakout session in which small groups consider two case studies, and then a final session to feedback the discussions from the breakout groups and answer further questions from delegates.
Each module is recorded and made available to participants together with handbooks for easy reference.
Publishing ethics are a frequent concern for many journals, and the issues range from small annoyances to large-scale problems which can have a dramatic negative impact on both the publications and the people involved. It is always better to avoid problems than to try and remedy them, and this workshop considers strategies and policies journals can introduce to mitigate the possibility of ethical problems.
The workshop will highlight some of the most common ethical issues such as duplicate and plagiarised publications, author, editor and reviewer ethics, data and artwork manipulation and misinterpretation, ways in which problems can be mitigated, and how they (if they happen) can be resolved effectively and efficiently.
1. Identifying problems
Delegates were presented with the various ways in which problems can be identified and systems to mitigate problems before they happen.
2. Avoiding problems
Delegates were asked to consider the policies that their journals create and implement, and how these could be strengthened.
3. Responding to problems
Delegates learnt how to respond to problems in a balanced and fair way, and ensure that their journal responds appropriately when errors are identified.
If you would like to be notified when modules 1-4 are running again, please add your name to the waiting list.
Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet PsychiatryUnited Kingdom
Joan Marsh is the Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Psychiatry. Joan was on the Council of the European Association of Science Editors for 12 years, including six as President. She is now Chair of its Gender Policy Committee and an Associate Editor of European Science Editing.